World IN BRIEF : LEBANON : Militia Withdraws Arms From Port

A pro-Syrian Palestinian group removed weapons from waterfront bases south of Beirut, the latest militia to comply with the government’s effort to assert its authority over all Lebanese territory. A spokesman for the Palestine Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command said the group withdrew heavy and medium arms from the coastal region of Naame, 10 miles south of Beirut. The spokesman refused to comment on radio reports that the arms were being sent to the Syrian-policed Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. In a possible setback to the government’s effort to expand its authority, Minister of State Nabih Berri, the leader of the Shiite Amal militia, assailed plans to shut down illegal militia-run ports, saying they are vital to the harbor areas.